Hillary and John's dreamy St. Pete Beach wedding took all of the things that made their love story uniquely special and wrapped them into one gorgeous waterfront celebration filled with swoon-worthy details creating a classic, elegant and romantic ambiance.
“We didn't have a specific theme for our wedding, but I wanted our day to be light and romantic while having a beach setting. John wanted to wear a black tux for our wedding to keep on-trend with the classic yet elegant style,” the bride shared. “I knew that going into wedding planning the colors would have to be something to complement such an iconic venue. I really loved the idea of my bridesmaids in a grayish, blue color, and we just went with it!”
MORE: BLUE WEDDING INSPIRATION
Turning to Marry Me Tampa Bay for help with the planning process, the bride shared that wished she had found the site earlier.
“I stumbled upon the Marry Me Tampa Bay Instagram about halfway into the process of wedding planning. I wish I would have found this earlier in the process because the tips and recommendations have been awesome. I have recommended this page to fellow friends who are in the planning process at this time!” Hillary shared.
With the iconic St. Pete wedding venue the Don CeSar as a symbolic piece of their journey as a couple, the Tampa Bay couple knew it absolutely had to be the venue where they tied the knot.
“Our venue really played a huge role in making sure our personalities shined throughout our wedding. We have so many memories from The Don CeSar, and I think it was just truly the perfect reflection of some of the best times we've had together as a couple,” the bride beamed. “The Don came with a reputation of amazing customer service based on all of the online reviews. The service was honestly better than we could have imagined. The whole process was smooth and the customer service absolutely spectacular. “(Senior Catering Sales Manager) Beth was such a huge part of piecing our wedding together, and she was so helpful in coordinating the whole process!”
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DON CESAR | EMAIL
To complement her Bella Bridesmaids dresses, Hillary searched for a wedding dress with flowing layers that gave dimension to her tall stature and found a whimsical gown from couture Tampa bridal salon Isabel O'Neil Bridal.
” I had shopped around at a few different local bridal shops and couldn't find anything to fit my style. As soon as I stepped into Isabel O’Neil Bridal I saw so many unique dresses that were stunning,” Hillary shared. “My experience there was fabulous and was very personalized. I feel like they really listened to my description of what I wanted and were able to guide me in the right direction of what I wanted! I tried my wedding dress on, and I knew it was the one because nothing else compared!”
LEARN MORE ABOUT ISABEL O'NEIL BRIDAL COLLECTION | EMAIL
Hillary and John thoroughly enjoyed their experience working with St. Pete bakery, The Artistic Whisk, and enjoyed narrowing their favorite cake flavors down to Strawberries and Champagne and Salted Caramel.
“The service we received from the team was amazing, and they allowed us to be as creative as we wanted to be. Everything from the tasting to the day of the wedding was a smooth process, and the cake was just what we envisioned,” the bride beamed. “We loved that The Artistic Whisk also focuses on using fresh and natural ingredients and felt like it made our cake even more stunning and delicious. We even had several guests comment about how much they enjoyed it!”
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARTISTIC WHISK | EMAIL
Looking back on the day they said, “I do,” the bride and groom reminisced that they cherished the day's intimate occurrences.
“The initial moment after they announced us as husband and wife, John and I got to share a few moments to just relish in the moment and enjoy each other,” the bride blushed. “We also got to sneak away and take some pictures on the beach which was such an awesome moment to share together just soaking in the beauty of our venue.”
What was your inspiration for your bridesmaid's dresses?
I had a larger bridal party and a few of the girls were spread across the country.
Bella Bridesmaids offers a lot of locations across the country, and I knew that if my bridesmaids had to go try on their dress, it wouldn't be an issue to find a store. I set up an appointment with Bella and brought along my mom and one of my bridesmaids to help me decide. I didn't have much of a vision for the style of dress but knew I wanted something that was different than my strapless dress and a blue-ish color. Bella Bridesmaids listened to what I described and narrowed down a variety of styles and colors to give me options. I ended up choosing a dress I knew would complement my dress and the black tuxes that the groomsmen wore. Bella made choosing the bridesmaids dresses a seamless experience!
What was your wedding dress inspiration?
I wanted something light and romantic, but also lots of volume. I am just around 6 foot, and I wanted something that had flowing layers that allowed for some dimension. I tried my wedding dress on, and I knew it was the one because nothing else compared!
I had shopped around at a few different local bridal shops and couldn't find anything to fit my style. As soon as I stepped into Isabel O’Neil Bridal Collection I saw so many unique dresses that were stunning. My experience there was fabulous and was very personalized. I feel like they really listened to my description of what I wanted and were able to guide me in the right direction of what I wanted!
The Proposal:
Our proposal took place at Charley’s Steak House. We were attending dinner with our best friends, and John popped the question in the middle of dinner. It was such a special moment. Charley’s will always be a special restaurant for us!
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
A place that held so many of our great memories and reflected our personalities. We both love the beach, and The Don CeSar was one of our favorite places to spend time relaxing by the water.
The Don CeSar came with a reputation of amazing customer service based on all of the online reviews. We were specifically contacted by Beth Clark, Senior Catering Sales Manager, to help make our dream wedding come to life. The service at The Don was honestly better than we could have imagined. The whole process was smooth and the customer service absolutely spectacular. Beth was such a huge part of piecing our wedding together and she was so helpful in coordinating the whole process. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to get married there and would specifically recommend Beth, who was absolutely fantastic from start to finish!
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
We didn't have a specific theme for our wedding, but I wanted our day to be light and romantic while having a beach setting. Throughout the planning process, I was never stuck on a specific theme, however, I just wanted our day to reflect a classic, elegant and romantic ambiance.
What were your colors?
John wanted to wear a black tux for our wedding to keep on-trend with the classic yet elegant style. I knew that going into wedding planning the colors would have to be something to complement such an iconic venue. I really loved the idea of my bridesmaids in a grayish, blue color and we just went with it!
What was your wedding cake design inspiration?
I just wanted something simple and classic. We chose two flavors for our cake. During our tasting we narrowed the flavors down to our two favorites, which were Strawberries and Champagne and Salted Caramel. I feel like we went simple on the cake design so we wanted to have a little more fun with the flavors. We decided to alternate both flavors with each cake tier. It was delicious!
The Artistic Whisk was a recommendation from The Don CeSar. They've worked closely with The Artistic Whisk before and knew they would be an amazing addition to our list of vendors. The service we received from the team was amazing, and they allowed us to be as creative as we wanted to be. Everything from the tasting to the day of the wedding was a smooth process, and the cake was just what we envisioned. We loved that The Artistic Whisk also focuses on using fresh and natural ingredients and felt like it made our cake even more stunning and delicious. We even had several guests comment about how much they enjoyed it!
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
Someone who could read the crowd and get our guests up and dancing!
We chose Grant Hemond & Associated off of the recommendation of our planner and friends and family who have used their services in the past. They have an outstanding reputation and were very detail-oriented, thorough and professional from start to finish.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Just enjoy the process! Wedding planning can be stressful and there are so many choices to make, but try to focus on making the best choices for you as a couple. Try not to stress about making the day perfect or you will miss out on so many great moments on your big day. Enjoy the little things because it goes by so fast!
Ceremony and Reception Venue and Caterer: The Don CeSar *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Venue
Photographer: Ailyn La Torre Photography
Videographer: A Peachy Life Productions
Planner: Love Lee Lane
Florist: Northside Florist
Cake: The Artistic Whisk *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
DJ: Grant Hemond & Associates *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pros
Officiant: Dr. Tommy Green
Watercolor Save-the-Date: A&P Design Co. *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Wedding Invitations: The Write Stuff
Dress: Isabel O'Neil Bridal Collection *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids – Wtoo *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Hair & Makeup: Lasting Luxe
